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I’m on Day 10 of The Cold. This one’s a nasty strain. Oh, it’s nasty, people. It starts with an incredibly sore throat, blocked sinuses and feeling run down. That goes on for about six days. Random bouts of upset stomach are thrown in just to keep things interesting. Then you get a few hours of total fakeout, where you think you’re getting better. That happened on Saturday afternoon and evening. And then, overnight, the cold migrates to your chest, turning into a bad cough and overall wheeziness and heaviness. The rundown feeling is replaced with an “I drank too much and then someone hit me in the head with a sledge hammer” sensation. In the meantime, your sneezes are in Technicolor.

I’ve managed to go running exactly twice during this time. The first run was on Saturday, when I thought I was getting better. That was a six miler at 9:30 pace, windy, with some stopping and walking. I tried again on Monday, another try at six miles. I forgot my watch, which is probably just as well.

I visited my doctor yesterday to confirm that I don’t have something bad brewing (like pneumonia). In the process I got an Rx for a hydrocodone-based cough syrup. I was warned that it’s habit forming and that I am not to take more than the recommended dose (1 teaspoon twice a day — it’s like the nitroglycerin of cough syrups), and then “wean myself off it it.” That won’t be hard. A half an hour after taking a teaspoon I am an idiot. Five minutes after that I’m out cold for three hours.

I am feeling better, finally, now, although I don’t trust it. But I’d better feel better by tomorrow because it’s going to be a big day! Jonathan goes in for something called “platelet rich plasma” therapy (otherwise known as “PRP”). His foot, in which he tore the fascia clean in half back in August, is not getting better, so this course of treatment was recommended. What they do is take some of his blood, extract the platelets, whirl them around for a bit and then reinject the substance back into his foot. He won’t be put under (or down, fortunately), but will be anesthetized into a state of “conscious sedation.” This means that he won’t be out cold, but he also won’t remember anything that happened. Kind of like when I take Ambien with a beer.

This has to be done in a facility rather than in Ortho 1’s office. I don’t know if it’s an actual hospital, but there are pieces of hospitalish equipment required, along with the services of an anesthesiologist. We’re bringing in our own boot and crutches, since this procedure is going to cost a significant amount and we may as well economize where we can. I was tempted to get an additional boot from the facility because a pair of them would help complete a really good Frankenstein costume.

He’ll be recovering for a few days. Then I think he can start running early next week and see if that fixes the problem. Edited: No, he can start non-impact cross-training in three days, then elliptical in 10. No running for a month — this was news.

The start of my cold coincided with my visit to The Nutritionist. I’ve been following her instructions, although, having done next to no exercise, I’m not expect a whole lot to happen. At least it’s been easy to stick to as I’ve had no appetite. Quitting drinking cold turkey was easy too, since I have no desire to drink when I’m sick.

Tomorrow I’ll also try to pick up my bib and chip for Sunday’s Ted Corbitt 15K, since we’ll be in the vicinity of NYRR’s offices. I had hoped to get up to at least a 10 mile run prior to this race, but this cold has thrown everything off. The longest run I’ve done since I started back roughly a month ago was eight miles. Unless I’m still ill or the weather is really bad, I’ll run it. Racing it seems a folly given the last four months of running crapitude.

What I may do is just spend the first few miles testing out my adductor on the hills. If it’s okay, I may try to “race” for a few miles just to see what speed I can get up to (and gather some heart rate data). Then either drop out or jog the rest. Yes, the stupid adductor still hurts. I did some reading up on osteitis pubis and see that for some people it can take 7-12 months to go away completely.

2011 has to be better for both of us. It just has to be.

There were some bright spots this week:

My blood pressure at the doctor’s was 112/70; resting pulse was 52 — so I have not lost fitness.

I am finally resuming work on Houston Hopefuls this weekend, with my first interview in two months. A third will follow in January. I’ve got two new Hopefuls joining up too.

I just got another assignment from Running Times, an article for their site, not print (“Web Exclusives”), about winter cross-training alternatives. That was as a direct result of the latest Khannouchi-based opus, even though it was rejected. I’m sure the print work also helped establish me as someone who isn’t a total flake. I also got a new lead on some corporate writing work for the new year to add to the irons I already have going there, from a “potential client” that I’d all but written off. I am feeling fairly confident that we won’t starve, at least not in the first quarter.

The resurfacing of our front walk is almost done and it’s looking really good. Our mason is a perfectionist. That was a nice surprise. But his guys had to stop working because of the sudden cold snap. Work resumes on Friday, probably. No word on when the new windows are going in.

Friday is our 20 year anniversary (of sorts; we’re not married, at least not that I know of). We, uh, “officially became a couple” 20 years ago. We’ll probably celebrate with some cough mixture and gimp boot dancing.